rise against

Veteran band Rise Againsthave recently released a stream of their upcoming Long Forgotten Songs: B-Sides and Covers, which is slated for purchase starting September 10th. The album is exactly what the name suggests: songs from their myriad albums that were classified as secondary in favor of other more popular songs. These under-appreciated tunes, including covers of Bruce Springsteen, Journey, and Nirvana, reflect the aggressive and energetic sound of the Chicago punk rock outfit and are definitely worth a listen for both fan and newcomer alike. You can stream the 26-song album here via Radio.com, and you can purchase a pre-order of the album here.

Nations Afire – “The Ghosts We Will Become”

Nations Afire, an ensemble composed of music veterans from the groups Rise Against, Death Stereo, and Ignite, have recently released their debut album, The Ghosts We Will Become. No stranger to their music scene in California, the rock band seeks to spread their sound to a national–and global–level.

And perhaps that goal isn’t without reason either; with strong riffs and vocalist Nik Hill’s powerful, rough vocals (somewhat reminiscent of less nasal-y version of Alter Bridge‘s Myles Kennedy’s singing voice) that blend together well, nearly every song in the album possesses the headbanging energy people want. The songs without the hard rock gusto are no slouch either, instead choosing a more emotional approach, from comparatively heavy Nine Lives to entirely acoustic Even The Blackest Heart Still Beats.

Certain parts of the album, however, are weak. “I am an army coming through/I am a zombie over you/I can’t believe it, I want it so bad” in I Am an Army feels almost half-assed, and the opening line “And the wolves cry out again” in Wolves’ chorusseems to always drop the energy of an otherwise consistent song. Another issue with The Ghosts We Will Become is that it sounds too similar to the punk rock and hard rock scene. The beginnings of I Am an Army and One Perfect Day, for example, sound just like an intro from a song by Rise Against. The lyrics also read similar to Rise Against or Anti-Flag. Although the sound itself is more than satisfying, there aren’t any curve balls or segments that stand out as unique, which makes the album sit in the shadow of already established bands of the same genre.

Nevertheless, as a band’s debut album, The Ghosts We Will Become is a very strong start, and it is a positive indicator of Nations Afire’s talent and where it can go from here. As long as the band continues to develop their own sound and find its niche in the wildly popular rock genre which they jump into, it will no doubt end up in the spotlights.

7.5

Track listing:
01. I Am an Army
02. The Ghosts We Will Become
03. Nine Lives
04. One Perfect Day
05. In Absentia
06. Occams Razor
07. Even the Blackest Heart Still Beats
08. Pick Up the Pieces
09. Break Your Fall
10. The Legacy We Leave
11. The Concussionist
12. Wolves

Rising Southern California rock band Nations Afirehave released a new song off of their upcoming debut album, The Ghosts We Will Become, entitled Pick Up The Pieces which can be streamed below. The band is composed of former Rise Againstmember Chris Chasse; current Ignitemembers Nik Hill and Brett Rasmussen; and former Death By Stereo member Todd Henning.

“Pick Up The Pieces is a song written about the domestic violence in our communities, in our neighborhood, in our homes,” says Nik Hill in Artist Direct’s press release. “It is an isolating experience and the lyrics are meant to empower and shine a light on this issue, to prove that we cannot be broken by these things, by our pasts and more importantly to say something now, help each other get out of these violent surroundings. Turning victims into heroes, and giving voices to those too afraid to speak up.”

The album is scheduled for release on July 2nd via the Hermosa Beach indie label Hardline Entertainment and is available for pre-order here. Pre-ordering the album enrolls you in a special raffle event, hosted by the band, in which one lucky winner will receive a custom Nations Afire guitar in their “Pre-Sale Contest.” Be sure not to miss I Am An Army, Nine Lives, and the title track The Ghosts We Will Become, three songs previously released that are also part of their impending full-length. Also be sure subscribe to their Twitter, Instagram, Myspace, and Youtube channel!

Sister City – Carbon Footprint

Having never heard of Sister City, formed only in 2007, I had no idea what to expect upon downloading their new album Carbon Footprint. I saw the genre “indie punk” thrown around quite a bit, but such a description is too vague to actually say much.

Opener “Hit Too Hard” finally put a sound to the name. Even though it didn’t quite answer the question of what “indie punk” means, it did provide a ballpark sound to work with. Initially, Sister City sounds like an opening band, reminiscent of The Loved Ones or The Measure, taking cues from bigger bands, but still lacking the chops to be headliners themselves. There is a familiar, almost generic feel to the music, but under the surface, there is a passion and effort driving the band, which is demonstrated all throughout the album.

The passion is most easily heard through frontman Adam Linder’s lyrics. Like early Rise Against, he’s usually making a point about the state of the human condition, but instead of actually calling for action like Tim McIlrath, he limits himself to biting observations with a cynicism very much in the vein of Say Anything’s Max Bemis. “The things I want are simple things, like love and trust and sanity” Linder notes on “IMPERATIVE.” Closer “How Much” brings his unease to a climax, “For a couplet I sold what was left of my integrity and I don’t have any goals / but I do have an apartment in a city full of people, and a subtle, sinking feeling we’re all equals.”

Lines like these permeate every song, but unfortunately, few of them actually stick, largely because there’s a distance to them, an apathy that doesn’t inspire the listener to do something about it. Linder’s vocals don’t help much either. They’re neither bad nor particularly good –they just tend to add to the generic overall sound.

While the music in general sounds largely familiar, Sister City does distinguish itself from the pack to some extent with their poignant use of rests. They immediately set to this trend in the stop-start “Hit Too Hard” and continue through with such usages as the pre-chorus holds of “Some Prefer Nettles,” the one beat rests on the repeated chorus of “IMPERATIVE.” The rests are very calculated to add impact to the lyrics, and nearly always work well. It’s just a small touch, but it does make their music more distinct.

There is a certain level of maturity in their musicianship as well. Many of their songs have different phases to them- they don’t usually end up in the same musical place where they were at the beginning, but they’re still within the general sound, so the song isn’t too disjointed. For the most part, this too works fairly consistently, such as with the double-time outro topping off the already engaging “Ellis Island Blues.” The biggest offender with this patchwork style is “Eff That” which suffers from too much schizophrenia. The smooth verses don’t blend well with the No Use For A Name-sounding chorus, and the bridge is much too forced, making it one of the only songs that would be considered weak overall.

While much of their music is familiar, familiarity isn’t always a negative thing either. Sister City wear their influences on their sleeves, and fans of the general scene won’t be disappointed. Much of their music sounds like a lighter version of Against Me!, and they wear this influence proudly, even naming a song “Reinventing Adm Linder.” Ironically, this song is eerily similar to “Hey There Delilah.” Plain White T’s comparison notwithstanding, it’s actually one of the album’s lyrically strongest and catchiest songs overall.

Swaying away from Against Me!, Sister City turn to NOFX with “IMPERATIVE,” driven by a bouncing bass that sounds like it’s straight out of “Timmy the Turtle.” Pulling out all of the stops, “How Much” channelsManchester Orchestra with a slow buildup to a climactic finale. These songs are generally good for what they’re worth, but at the same time, they feel like the diet version of some of your favorite bands.

Overall, even after a few spins, I still find that Sister City is a very difficult band to describe. After some thought, I have concluded that one of the most apt metaphors is that Sister City is a cloud. The band can’t be clearly defined or put into one particular musical box. Their influences are numerous, yet they still have a single cohesive, recognizable sound. Finally, there is definitely substance to their music and lyrics, but when you reach out to touch it, you may not end up feeling much in the end.

7.4

To foster charity work in the community, Rise Against is holding a contest to find out what their fans doing to help out. The band will be selecting 50 of their favorite entries and donating a t-shirt to the Los Angeles Youth Network under each winners name. The winners will also receive a free t-shirt and signed copy of Endgame from the entire band.

To enter, visit our contest page here and fill out the information near the bottom of the page. The band will be selecting winners on June 23.